Sync my Windows Phone settings

When you sync your Windows Phone settings to and from your other PCs and tablets running Windows 8 or later, you won't have to reenter Wi-Fi passwords, purchase your in-app content again, or hunt down your favorite websites anymore. And you can surround yourself with your favorite color-synced devices that can all share the theme you choose.

Note

This topic is about Windows Phone 8.1. If your phone is running Windows Phone 8, this feature won't be available. Check to see which software version you have and find out if an update is available.

To turn on settings sync

When you first set up your Windows Phone and sign in to your Microsoft account, syncing settings is on by default (except for Theme syncing). You can choose what gets synced at any time.

In the App list, tap Settings

> Sync my settings.

Turn on

syncing for the settings you want synced between this phone and your other Windows devices.

You can set your PCs and tablets to sync settings, too. Then, the next time you change a synced setting on any synced device, that most recent change will be applied across your other devices syncing that setting, including your phone.

Note

Syncing your settings is different from backing up your phone's settings. For example, if you've enabled backup and you turn off Theme syncing on your phone, your phone's Theme settings will still be backed up, and you can still restore them.

Your synced settings are stored in OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive), and you can clear them out at any time. To learn more, see Delete your personal settings from the cloud.

Theme syncing

Love it when everything matches? Turn on Theme syncing to apply the accent color and background you choose for your Windows Phone to other synced Windows devices, including additional phones.

App settings syncing

Save your game progress, high scores, and purchases (for participating apps) for the next time you get a new phone, laptop, or tablet by turning on App settings syncing. More advantages: you won't lose your place in magazine apps or e-reader apps, and you can access in-game paid content purchased on other synced Windows devices.

Internet Explorer syncing

No need to lose your Internet preferences when you move from your PC to your phone. Turn on Internet Explorer syncing to take your typed URLs, favorites, history, and open tabs everywhere you go.

Passwords syncing

With Passwords syncing, you only have to type your friend's 24-character Wi-Fi password once. Quickly connect to the same Wi-Fi networks—whether you're on your computer, phone, or tablet—without needing to enter the password on each device. If you've saved passwords for participating apps and websites in Internet Explorer, those will come with you, too. Passwords syncing is on by default for new phones running Windows Phone 8.1.

Notes

Passwords syncing requires a two-step verification process to keep your information safe. If you didn't go through the two-step verification when you first set up your phone, you'll be asked to go through it when you turn on passwords syncing.

When you turn on passwords syncing, your password is sent over a secured connection and is stored in an encrypted file on a Microsoft server.

Wi-Fi connections added from devices other than your Windows Phone may not appear in the list of synced networks until your phone has connected to them for the first time. Your phone will still connect to these networks automatically, and then you'll see them under Known networks—to get there, tap Settings > Wi-Fi > Manage.

Passwords syncing only works for secured Wi-Fi networks where you enter a password. It doesn't work for enterprise networks that use 802.1X authentication, or for open networks, which aren't secured with a password.